Radiata Stories: The Next Adventure
by MadMikeTales
Summary: It is the post game after defeating the Silver dragon. Jack and Ridley must decide on what they will do now that the battle is over. Little do they know a whole new adventure awaits them of absolute legendary and other worldly proportions.
1. Chapter 1

**Radiata Stories: The Untold Love Story**

Chapter 1: Starting from the end

The Silver Dragon has been slain, and the Gold dragon was stopped before it was able to take control of Ridley's body. After a silent goodbye to their former captain, Jack Russell and Ridley Silverlake escape the collapse of the Gold Dragon Castle with their lives intact. With all the dragons put to an eternal sleep, and with the nonhumans plot foiled, Jack and Ridley slowly made their return to Radiata Castle to explain all the events that had taken place that day to the king of Radiata, Jiorus, and to Lord Larks, Prime Minister and the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Radiata Knights.

"Take it easy Ridley, it would be a drag if I had to carry you all the way back to the castle." said Jack in a teasing matter.

"I'm fine Jack. Worry about yourself for once, you still haven't completely healed from your fight, idiot." Ridley responded calmly as they continued to move at a slow pace.

"Idiot huh, well this idiot just saved your life so I'd show a little more gratitude if I were you." Jack responded almost angrily as he turned his head away from her. On the outside he looked annoyed, but on the inside he had a big grin on. Suddenly he felt Ridley pull his arm over her shoulders as she hugged him from the side continuing to walk. Jack blushed feverishly and looked at her in shock.

"Huh...Ri...Ridley?!" he stuttered as she looked up at him with her brilliant emerald eyes.

"This is the most gratitude you will get from me so just shut up and accept it." She looked back towards the road as she finished speaking.

Jack was speechless, and in fear of ruining the moment, he fought the urge to try to force a conversation. He just held her close as they walked towards what seemed to be an endless desert road.

The sun was setting behind them and Jack noted how Ridley looked almost angelic as the sun hit her, lighting up her long blonde hair. At this moment, Jack realized just how long the journey was to get to this point, and he wouldn't change a thing. There were many losses, including General Dynas, Lord Nogueira leader of the dark elves, many Radiata Knights and nonhuman warriors alike. Even Cross, who wasn't either Jacks or Ridley's favorite person, but they would feel cold hearted to say he deserved death or to not feel bad that he died.

After awhile, Jack and Ridley came across a journey pig statue and they approached it. Ridley stopped Jack before they were close enough to touch it.

"Listen Jack" she said quietly "I don't quite want to go back to the castle just yet...can we go somewhere else for now? Anywhere else...please?"

"Well sure Ridley I guess its fine" Jack said looking at Ridley confused "I don't really mind, but don't you think we should let the King and Lord Larks know what happened right away?"

"That's just it, a lot has happened and I just want to rest somewhere nice and safe before we get back to the castle and bombarded with questions. Just for the night then straight to the castle in the morning." she looked up at him with a face that was almost begging and Jack finally gave in.

"Okay Ridley, I still don't really understand, but if that's what you want to do then that's fine with me" he said giving her a gentle smile. She responded in kind with a equally gentle and tired smile

"Thanks Jack, so do you have a place in mind?"

He thought for a second, then kicked the statue and it teleported them off in a flash of light. They appeared in Tria Village, Jacks hometown and just from the expression on his face you could tell that he was happy to be home. As they walked into the village, Ridley looked at Jack oddly.

"Why did you kick the pig statue? We could have easily gotten here just by touching it with your hands.

Jack looked up into the sky with his hand on his chin as if in deep thought. "I don't know really, force of habit I guess." Ridley let out a long sigh and decided to drop the subject all together. She started to look around the village a little and noticed how small and empty it was compared to Radiata, and equally how many trees, flowers, and how quiet it was compared to the always active and less green, city she grew up in. She liked it a lot.

Jack went up to his old and cozy home and knocked on the door. He and Ridley heard movement come from inside and he decided to knock again.

"This is the house I grew up in" he told Ridley with a smile on his face "It's not that big compared to the castle, but it should be good enough to stay here for the night. My older sister Adele is the only one who lives here now and I'm sure she won't mind if we stay the night."

Ridley was glad that they were going to be staying with someone trustworthy and was a little excited and nervous to meet Jack's older sister as well.

They heard footsteps come towards the door along with a sudden shout. "Sunset if that's you again I swear I'm going to wring your neck!" said a violent voice that came from inside the house. The door swung open fast, and Jack and Ridley took a quick step back with their hands up defensively as if on instinct. Adele stepped out of the house with an angry expression and was greeted in kind by the scared and worried faces on Jack and Ridley.

"Jack?" said Adele confused and in shock "what are you doing here at this hour?" she takes a quick glance at Ridley and immediately back to Jack. "Whose your lovely companion?" before Jack had a second to speak, Adele interrupted "Wait before all that what happened?! You guys look like a wreck!"

After Adele had calmed down a bit, Ridley introduced herself, and over a warm cup of tea, started to answer all of her questions. "Wow, you guys have...uhhh...sure been through a lot..." Adele said lost for words at the incredible story that was just told to her.

"Yes so, Jack mentioned that it might be okay if we stayed here for the night before returning to report the details of everything we just told you. I mean if that's okay with you." Adele eyed her little brother who noticed right away and tried to hide behind his cup of tea.

Adele shook her head, "Yes that would be perfectly fine if you stayed here for the night. You can take Jacks room and he can sleep on the couch." At this news Jack almost spat out his tea.

"Wait what?! Why do I have to sleep on the couch?! It's all hard and lumpy!" Jack protested but was easily quieted by Adele's stare.

"Be a man Jack!" responded Adele rather angrily "would you rather have Ridley sleep on the couch?! Don't be ridiculous, there's no way I'd allow that. Either sleep on the couch or sleep on the floor, I don't care, but Ridley is taking your room" He pouted a little but knew it was pointless to argue. He had rather have Ridley more comfortable anyways.

"If you are done whining then take Ridley and go wash up. I'll make you guys dinner, you look starving." As if on command, Jack and Ridley's stomach began to growl in unison. Ridley looked embarrassed, but Jack was excited that he was going to get a home cooked meal. Jack led her to the restroom and allowed her to enter first.

"Okay, the soap should be on the dish next to the faucet and there should be towel hanging from a rack next to the door." Ridley entered part way and then stopped and looked back at Jack.

"I'm sorry Jack, I didn't mean to inconvenience you...if you wish then I'll sleep on the couch and you can have your room."  
>She looked down at the floor and Jack just smiled.<p>

"No Ridley, don't worry about it, honestly if she didn't say that then later on I would have done the same thing so relax." He looked at her with a smile and she met his gaze. She realized she was blushing a little, and she looked away.

"Thank you Jack..." she turned away and started walking into the bathroom and he grabbed her arm.

"Listen, I know I told you to show me a little more gratitude, but I think it's enough now. You don't have to thank me for everything. It's getting kind of weird." Ridley met his gaze once again and started to blush more. She didn't know what else to say so she just nodded as he let go of her arm and walked away." She closed the restroom door behind her and went to the sink. She was about to turn on the water until she noticed her reflection in the mirror above the sink. She studied her face and beyond the small dirt marks and her hair being a mess, she looked really tired, more than she felt. She stopped looking and turned on the water. She washed her delicate but powerful hands first, then her face along with running some water through her hair in an attempt to fix it even a little. All of this while thinking heavily of all the things that had happened and in what order to tell it when she returned to the castle.

While Ridley was washing up, Jack went to his old room to prepare it for her. There wasn't much to be done since it seemed Adele had been keeping it tidy since he had been gone. He fluffed a pillow a bit, smoothed out the covers, and then went to wait by the restroom door for Ridley to come out.

After washing up briefly, Ridley dried her hands and face on a hanging towel near the door and exited. She passed by Jack with a nod as he entered and went to go see if Adele needed help with anything

"Is there anything I could do to help?" she said softly as Adele pointed at a few dishes.

"Yes can you set the table please?" Ridley nodded as she went towards the dishes. Adele was reheating soup she had made the previous day. She was use to cooking for herself and Jack, so whenever she cooked she always had plenty of leftovers. The meat and veggies gave off a very pleasant scent that made Ridley's hunger increase.

"So Ridley, are you and my brother dating? You are quite the catch." Ridley fumbled with a bowl almost dropping it at the sound of Adele's question.

"N..n..no no we are just friends" Ridley said embarrassedly as her cheeks showed an obvious blush. "We were in the same brigade when he was still in the knights and I'm kind of the reason he was fired..." She looked down a little ashamed at that fact still. She still hadn't forgiven herself fully for that even though Jack said he was perfectly fine being a part of Theater Vancoor. He even left that to come with her to the City of Flowers to meet with the elder Lord Zane. The more she thought about it, the sadder she thought thinking everything was her fault. Adele caught unto this and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay Ridley relax. I can tell you are a very special person to my brother and he doesn't look like he is holding any of that against you so let it go." Adele radiated strength and encouragement, and Ridley couldn't help but smile and feel better.

Jack walked in on this scene and asked if everything was okay and they nodded as he sat down at the prepared table. Adele served them good helpings of soup and they all talked happily through the meal. Jack helped Adele with the dishes when they were done as Ridley got herself situated in Jack's room.

"She's a keeper Jack. Don't screw this up for yourself." Jack looked at his sister with a blush, but didn't say a word. She knew him well.

"Hey sis?" Jack asked curiously wanting to change the subject "Why did you yell out Sunsets name when we got here?" Adele's face grew a little annoyed.

"That little kid has been pranking all the houses over here for the past couple of weeks." She said very annoyed "Leaving cow pies at people's front doors and throwing rotten eggs at people walking by." It sounded like the Sunset Jack knew, always trying to get people's attention.

Adele had given Ridley an old pair of her pajamas that fit her perfectly. She looked around at the plainly decorated room which gave her comfort as she laid down on the bed. No sooner had she closed her eyes did she fall into a deep sleep.

Jack had stayed up a little longer talking to Adele about the possible consequences of leaving the castle and joining the nonhumans side in the war. Though they weren't fighting for their cause, they were still seen as traitors to the kingdom and it was something they had to deal with when they returned. With this warning, Adele retired to her room and Jack stayed up a little longer thinking about all of this. The drowsiness was taking over his thoughts so he decided it was time for bed. He forgot to take out his pajamas before Ridley went to sleep. He knocked on the door quietly calling out her name and when there was no answer, he opened the door slowly. He popped his head through the door first and noticed that Ridley was already asleep. He quietly entered the room and quickly withdrew his pajamas out of the little closet. He was about to exit when he heard Ridley give off a little noise and started to squirm in the bed. He was frozen looking at her.

She grew more and more restless saying barely audible words like "No" "Please no" "Stop". Jack went over to her side and put his hand on her face calling out to her. He shook her lightly until she shot up almost yelling "Jack!"

She was breathing heavy and it took her a few seconds to realize Jack was right beside her.

"What's the matter Ridley?! Are you okay?!" Jack said very worriedly.

"I don't know...I had a really bad nightmare and...It shook me up real bad" she said almost on the verge of tears. Jack gave her a hug and she buried her face into his chest and cried. He didn't know what to say or what else he could do. After a moment she withdrew herself from his embrace and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry Jack...I've been nothing but a burden to..." he stopped her right there before she had a chance to finish her sentence.

"Hey hey its okay Ridley, you aren't a burden to me at all. If I thought that I would have never went after you." She looked into his warm eyes and almost started to cry again but she shook it away. "Try to get some sleep okay? We have a long day tomorrow." As he got up Ridley grabbed onto his arm and pulled him gently back down.

"Please...stay with me...at least until I can fall asleep again...it would make me feel more...safe." The moons light through the window made Ridley's emerald eyes shine even more brilliantly than usual. Again he couldn't refuse her request. Adele wouldn't be too happy, but she needed him.

"Okay Ridley" he said calmly and soothingly "I won't leave your side." He walked over to the other side of the bed and lay beside her. She scooted closer to him and put his arm over her body and hugged it. She was out almost instantly and Jack almost exactly after. It was the best night's sleep they had both had in a long time, no nightmares or dreams period invaded their minds and neither of them moved an inch throughout the night.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm sure no one cares, but in this story, I will be mixing up some of the events that occur on both the human side and fairy side of things. So if something seems like it doesn't make sense, it's just the way I decided to write the story. Thank you.

Chapter 2: Going back

The sun is shining brightly in Tria Village. The people in this town are hard workers, and had been up working before the sun peaked over the distant mountains. The fresh air coming through the window in Jack's room managed to arouse the two deep sleepers out of there peaceful slumber. In unison, they sit up in the bed, stretch a bit, and give out a quiet yawn. They look at each other drowsily and immediately jump out of the bed.

"Crap!" exclaimed Jack, trying to make sense of all this. "I didn't mean to knock out next to you I swear it was an accident!"

Ridley noticed the worriedly look on Jack's face and looked down at the floor blushing. "It's okay Jack I understand. We were both exhausted after everything we've gone through. Plus, nothing happened so let's just forget about it."

"No you don't understand!" Jack said in a more hushed voice now, "If Adele catches me in here with you she will kill me!" He stood their imagining all the things Adele would do to him and started to freak out a bit. He looked down at himself and he noticed something odd. "When did I change into my pajamas? I remember when I was laying next to you I was still wearing my normal clothes still."

Ridley looked at him puzzled, "Huh that is strange. I don't remember you changing into them either."

While Jack was trying to figure out a way to sneak out without Adele noticing, and with Ridley trying to recall everything that had happened last night, they both noticed something else. They were starving. They put their hands on their stomachs and it growled in hunger. They caught whiff of a savory scent and without even thinking, walked out of the room heading towards this wonderful smell. They see Adele standing in the kitchen whipping eggs as bacon and sausage are sizzling on the stove top. They see toast and butter, with a jug of orange juice set on the table and hash browns on a platter on the counter behind Adele. She turns towards them and smiles beamingly.

"So, the great dragon slayers finally awaken from their long slumber. Wash up, breakfast will be ready momentarily." She continued to whip the eggs and then put them into a separate pan on the stove as Ridley and Jack walked towards the bathroom.

"You think she didn't notice that we slept in the same bed together?" Ridley asked Jack curiously, "She doesn't seem upset or anything."

Jack shook his head, "No, I'm pretty sure she knows. Nothing gets by her, especially when it comes to me. I tried sneaking out of the house once to hang out with some of the other kids in the village, and as soon as my feet hit the floor, her fist hit my head and she literally dragged me by feet back into the house. She made me do the worst chores of my life. I feel exhausted just thinking about it." Jack shuddered a bit and Ridley laughed. They washed up and headed back to the kitchen where Adele already had plates waiting for them.

"Eat up guys; I know you must be starving." They started to dig in almost immediately. In between chews, Jack was looking at his older sister curiously. He knows she knew about them sleeping in the same bed, and that would usually call for Adele beating him within an inch of his life, but for someone reason she didn't seem upset or angry at all.

They finished their meal and Jack never felt more satisfied in his life. Ridley was also happy, and Adele took their licked clean plates and started washing them in the sink. "Both of your clothes are washed and hanging in Jack's room. You guys should get going soon; the people in Radiata are in a panic. They don't know what's going on, and the people in the castle don't know how to calm them down."

They looked at each other, nodded, and got up from the table to retrieve their clothes from the room. Half way there, they stopped and went back to Adele

"You washed our clothes? So you did know about me and Ridley sleeping in the same bed together!" Jack exclaimed and then thought for a moment, "When did you have time to wash our clothes and still make breakfast? It is still really early." Adele finished washing the dish she had in her hand before deciding to respond to the questions.

"Yes, I did know about you sleeping in the same bed as Ridley. I was mad at first, but every time I tried to pull you away from her, she would hold on to your arm and I couldn't pry her away from you." At this news, Ridley looked extremely embarrassed and looked away. "I was surprised I was able to change you into your pajamas."

"Well that explains that." Jack said "But that doesn't explain how you were able to do all these things in such a short amount of time." Adele finished the last of the dishes and wiped her hands on a towel she had nearby.

"That's because I didn't do all those things in a short time, you guys have been sleeping for three days straight." She said this casually as she walked passed them to sit on a chair

"THREE DAYS!" Jack and Ridley said together as Adele told the m to quiet down. Jack continued, "How could you have let us sleep for three whole days and not try to wake us?!"

Ridley wanted to say something as well, but felt like it wasn't her place to say anything since she had already been nice enough to let her sleep and eat there. Even washing her clothes, but this didn't hide the fact that she was noticeably upset and Adele waited for them to calm down before she replied.

She looked at them both and said, "You finished? If you must know, I did try to wake you up, but you guys were so deeply asleep that there could have been a battlefield going on in that room and you guys wouldn't have budged an inch. I know you guys have things to do, but if your bodies were that tired, you would have collapsed on your way back to Radiata. Rest is just as important remember that!"

Jack and Ridley felt bad for being upset with Adele when she was just looking out for them. They both apologized and thanked her and Adele accepted the apology and told them again to get ready and head out.

Jack grabbed his clothes from his room closet and went to the bathroom to change so Ridley could change in his room. He got dressed quickly and grabbed his dads weapon now his, the Arbitrator. Just holding it he could feel the power that was in the sword, and he could feel his dad's spirit, which seemed to be forged into the sword as well. Gawain said that Jack was ready to wield this mighty sword, but Jack still had doubts of this. As he pondered this, Ridley came out of his room ready, with her axe on her back. She looked ready for anything. Her emerald eyes gave off a powerful look while still looking elegant and beautiful. She had her golden blonde hair down which reached the middle of her back. Jack was mesmerized by her beauty for a second, but snapped himself out of it.

Ridley looked around and then walked up to Jack, "Is your sister in her room? I wanted to properly thank her before we left for all that she has done for me."

Jack looked around and then knocked on his sister's door calling her name. After there was no response, he shrugged at Ridley and proceeded to walk out of the house. He put his normal iron edge sword on his hilt and wrapped the Arbitrator up and put it on his back. Ridley saw this and looked at him confused.

"That's the sword you used in your battle against the Silver Dragon right? Why would you put such a powerful sword away and leave yourself with that basic one?" As she said this Jack sighed and shook his head.

"This was originally my dad's sword, and even though I used it to defeat the Silver Dragon, I still don't feel I am ready to wield this sword yet." He continued to walk towards the door and swung the door open. As soon as it was open, he saw a sword coming for him, and on instinct blocked the attack with his iron edge and knocked the person holding it down to the ground, pointing his sword at the person's neck. When the dust settled, he saw that it was Adele who had swung the sword at his and he back peddled and looked at her wide eyed.

"What the heck are you doing Adele!? I almost killed you just now!" Jack said almost angrily as Adele stood up and dusted herself off. Ridley was just as surprised as Jack was and only now noticing that she already had her axe in her hand ready to defend her as well as Jack.

Adele walked over to Jack and took the iron edge from his hands and put it to the side. She took the Arbitrator from his back and placed it into his hands. "You really are ready to wield dad's sword now, or should I say your sword now." She patted Jack and Ridley on the head, walked into the house and closed the door behind her without saying another word. Ridley looked at Jack lovingly as he stared at HIS sword in his hands, on the verge of tears. Inside the house, Adele was crying softly out of happiness, wishing the best of luck to Jack and Ridley as they start this new journey which is sure to have many struggles and trials ahead. Jack wiped his eyes and told Ridley to come as they made their way out of the village.

"So did you want to take the journey pig home or walk from here?" Jack asked Ridley.

"We should hurry. Adele said there was panic in Radiata. No matter how much I want to enjoy the peace and quiet, bringing peace to Radiata comes first." Ridley looked determined and Jack kicked the pig statue and in a flash of light they were gone.

They appeared next to Lupus gate and you could quickly see the obvious signs of battle that had scared the surrounding area. There were broken pieces of armor and weapons littering the sides of the road along with blood splatter. Ridley was about to make a comment on this, when she realized they were about to be surrounded by Radiata knights. They quickly took out their weapons and took their stance as one of the knights was about to speak.

"By order of Lord Larks, Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Radiata Knights, we are to place Jack Russell and Ridley Silverlake under arrest for treason. Surrender now or prepare to face all of Radiata.

"What should we do?" Jack asked Ridley, "We could easily fight through them all and make our way to the castle on our own."

Ridley thought about this idea for a second, but pushed it aside. "No, let us just give in for now. We are already on bad terms with the kingdom and we need to make ourselves look as good as possible."

To the knights Ridley says, "We will do as you say, but we wish to speak with Lord Larks, that is our condition."

"Fine then, we will agree to your terms. Now drop your weapons and get on your knees with your hands behind your heads." They do as the knight says and as soon as they get on their knees, two knights quickly get behind them and hit them in the back of the head with the hilt of their swords, knocking them out cold. Their weapons get thrown in a bag and they are carried to the castle to await the judgment of Radiata.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Where It Began

Jack fades in and out of consciousness as the knights carry him and Ridley through Radiata towards the castle. He sees quick flashes of people in the street watching, the front of Theater Vancoor, Ridley hanging over a knight's shoulder, and then he blacks out until they are in the castle. When he comes to, he is alone in a cell of the castle. He hears people muttering outside his cell with hurried footsteps echoing through the hall. Walking up to the door of the cell he starts to bang on it.

"Hey! This wasn't part of the deal! Let me out of this thing and take me to Larks!" Jack bangs on the cell more and more furiously until Patrick, a watchmen in the jail, comes to quiet him down.

"Pipe down kid; you aren't seeing anybody hollering like that…and that's Lord Larks to you!" Patrick continues his walk through the halls making sure everything else is in order. Jack is about to say something else when he hears Ridley talking in the cell next to him.

"Yes Jack, just shut up for now. Throwing a fit in here isn't going to help anybody. Just remain patient until Lord Larks summons us." Ridley had come to before Jack, and had already tried talking to the watchmen to no avail. She knew it was pointless so the only thing that could be done now is to be patient. All of a sudden a large crashing sound could be heard from coming towards the front of the dungeon. People were shouting and over them you can hear someone calling out.

"Ridley, where is my Ridley! What have you done to her?!" It was Lord Jasne, Ridley's father, trying to push his way through the knights to see his daughter, who he hadn't seen or heard from since she left the castle. They finally get him restrained as Patrick comes running up.

"What the heck is going on here? Why isn't Lord Jasne in his room under house arrest as ordered by Lord Larks?"

Knight in charge responds, "Sir, when Lord Jasne heard that Lady Ridley was in the castle, he someone how managed to get passed the knights guarding his room and made it all the way down here." Lord Jasne squirms on the floor as multiple knights hold him down.

"Let me go this instant! Don't you know who I am? I want to see my daughter immediately!" Jasne continued to squirm as the guards threw him into a cell across from Ridley.

"There you go sir" replied Patrick, "now you get to see her as much as you want." All the guards went back to their stations as Patrick continued to make his rounds. Jasne quickly went towards the door of the cell and started calling out to Ridley.

"Are you there Ridley? Please answer me if you are there." Jasne continued trying to speak out to Ridley, but Ridley was too ashamed to speak. It was her fault that her father was in this predicament in the first place and she felt she had no right to speak to him now. "Please Ridley; at least speak one word so I know that you are okay and unharmed!"

As Jasne continued yelling from across the hall, Jack spoke to Ridley, who had been dead silent as soon as her father came barging through. "You know he's not going to stop until you speak to him right? Why don't you say something to him?" Ridley still remained quiet for a few minutes until she finally responded.

"It's my fault he has gone through so much trouble already. Nothing I say will justify what my actions have done to him. I don't deserve to call myself his daughter."

"You think that matters?" Jack responded, "He's your father Ridley, and no matter what you do that will never change. I know if I never went after you that day, I would have been driving myself crazy worrying about you. I'm sure your father has been going through that exact same thing." Ridley thought about this for a second with a tear in her eyes. She shook it off and stood up and walked to the door. Jasne was still yelling out for her to respond, crying madly as if his daughter had been dead for years.

"Ridley, please say something! Why won't you talk to me? I know you are there!" He continued blubbering until Ridley finally spoke.

"Hello…father…" At the sound of Ridley's voice, Jasne started to cry even harder.

"Ridley my beautiful daughter, are you alright?!" Jasne cried, "I was so worried when you left the castle! I didn't know what happened, and then I heard you were with the fairy creatures and I knew it had to be some kind of mistake! But you escaped from those evil creatures and you have finally returned to me my precious daughter!" Jasne continued to sob uncontrollably for a few minutes until Ridley finally decided to respond to him.

"No dad it was true what they said." She said sternly, "I went to the Light Elves of my own free will and joined their side. I wasn't fighting for their cause, but according to the rules of Radiata, I am a traitor to the kingdom." As she said this, Jasne stopped crying and was now in utter shock.

"But…why would you do such a thing Ridley?!" Jasne responded shakily. He couldn't comprehend what Ridley had told him and wanted answers. "You had everything you could ever want here in Radiata! You were a captain of your own brigade! All the finest knights, armor and weapons at your disposal! A father who loved you, and would do anything for you! Why throw all of that away to go on the side of the fairy creatures who tried to wipe us out?!"

Ridley raised her voice in anger, "And who attacked who first dad?! Because they certainly didn't! Lord Nogueira, a light elf, saved my life, and the result was his death! Instead of thanking them for their kind act for me, a human who they didn't trust and didn't know, what did we do? We sent knights to the dwarves' city, and took over them because we had too much damn pride to give into their price increases?" Jasne stared in shock over his daughters' outburst. Ridley exhaled, which calmed her down a bit as she went on. "Something was going on inside of me ever since the transpiritation ritual was performed on me, and I knew the only way I would receive answers was if I were to go with them, and I did. I don't expect you to understand, and I am truly sorry that I put you threw so much pain, but don't talk about the fairy creatures as if they were the only evil ones when we committed plenty of sins on our side as well." Jack was just listening to everything Ridley said and was in just as much shock as Jasne was in his cell across the hall. Not shock from what Ridley had said, but the way she said it. He never realized how deeply Ridley felt about everything. Jasne just stared into his daughters eyes across the hall. Her eyes showed confidence and experience, even behind bars. She wasn't his little girl anymore no matter how bad he wanted her to be.

"So is there anything else that needs to be said, or is that the whole story?" The three prisoners' eyes shot towards the end of the hall towards the voice as someone slowly came forward. The slow footsteps made an echo through the hall as the person slowly came into view. It was Lord Larks. "I certainly hope there is more to your story than just that. I have so many questions for the both of you." He looks to Patrick, and tells him to release Jack and Ridley, and starts to make his way back to his room. "Have the two of them escorted to my room shortly."

"But sir, are you sure it is safe? Why not just question them here?" Patrick pleaded with Larks. "They are both highly skilled warriors sir, and I don't think it is wise to release them from the cells."

Larks stops, but does not turn around to face Patrick. "I have a feeling if they wished us any harm they wouldn't have given up so easily. I have zero doubt in my mind they will give us any trouble." He continues to walk but then stops again, "And one more thing, return Lord Jasne to his chambers. If he acts up again though, do not hesitate to bring him back down here. Is that understood?"

"Yes Lord Larks!" All knights respond including Patrick. Larks exits, and shortly after two knights release Jasne and escort him directly to his room. Jasne doesn't even glance at Ridley as he walks past and Ridley feels she has said too much.

"He probably hates me now…" Ridley says to Jack in a sad voice. "I wouldn't blame him if he did."

"No way Ridley, he would never hate you in a million years! You said what needed to be said. He is just in shock right now. Besides, like I said before, he's your father, and he will never stop loving you." Jack said this with confidence, and even though Ridley couldn't see him, she could imagine his goofy smile, and that was enough to make her feel better.

"Thanks Jack…I needed to hear that…" She smiled as a single tear dropped to the floor, immediately replaced by a smile on her face.

"Alright you two love birds that's enough." Patrick said as he unlocked their cells. "Enough with the chit chat for now, you can talk all you want to Lord Larks." He pointed to the knights standing behind him, "the knights here are going to escort you to Lord Lark's chambers, and if you cause them any trouble, or give them any reason to make them feel you are up to no good, they are ordered to take you down by any means necessary understood?" Patrick had a serious look on his face as he spoke these words. Jack and Ridley just nodded, as the knights, two behind and two in front, escorted them to Lark's room.

It was a quiet walk up to the fourth floor from the dungeon. Jack and Ridley didn't want to excite the knights or make them suspicious in any way so they kept their mouths shout and eyes forward, not even looking at each other. When they finally arrived, one of the knights knocked on the door, announcing their coming to Larks. He told them to let the two in and to go back to their normal duties.

"Please sit down" Larks told them as he pointed at the two seats in front of his desk. The two of them sat down nervously as Larks sat their calmly, leaning on his elbows on the desk with his hands folded over his mouth. His eyes were closed and for several minutes he remained silent as if in deep thought as Jack and Ridley stared at him curiously. A few more minutes passed in awkward silence until he finally opened his eyes and looked at the two in front of him. "Now, please tell me everything, starting from when the two of you left Radiata, all the way till you returned this morning." Jack and Ridley looked at each other briefly, and then Ridley began to speak. She mentioned what was happening to her the days before she had left the castle, with the blacking out and speaking in a foreign tongue that turned out to be ancient elf. Jack talked about how the light elves had taken Ridley hostage which explained why he needed to take over Fort Helencia. They told Larks everything, from finding Gawain with the black goblins, to Lord Lucian being the Silver Dragon and killing Cross, and Ridley being the vessel for the Gold Dragon. He didn't say a word as the two told their story, and after a few hours when they were all done, he closed his eyes again. After awhile he took out a large, old looking book and passed it over to Ridley. "Please have a look at this. We found it in Lord Lucian's room after he left."

Ridley picked up the heavy book and placed it in her lap. She got a strange feeling from it and for a second was caught in a daze. She shook it off and opened the book. Inside were large strange characters that looked odd. Jack looked over at the book then to Larks. "What kind of language is this book in? I've never seen anything like it in my life."

"We aren't sure" Larks responded with his eyes still closed shut, "But after hearing your stories, I believe it might be this fabled ancient elf language Ridley was talking about. I'm hoping that if she could speak the language, then maybe her knowledge gained from the Gold Dragon would help her read the language as well."

"I don't think it works that way sir" Jack said, "Lucian told us the Gold Dragon was gone after I stopped Ridley from being taken over by it."

"I can read it…" Ridley said, staring at the book with great intense as she flipped through the old pages slowly. "It's talking about an ancient prophecy, older even than the prophecy of the Gold and Silver dragons…"

"What does it say?" Larks asked finally opening his eyes, staring at Ridley with great interest.

Jack still didn't understand what was going on. "Hey Ridley, what do you mean you could read it? Does that meant the Gold Dragon is not gone and you are still in danger?!" He looked at her worriedly, but she reassured him that wasn't the case.

"It's true that the Gold Dragon is still within my soul" Ridley told Jack as she continued to read the book. "But it is not the same as before. I can feel that it is not trying to take over my body, more like it is merging with me. It gives me knowledge of things I shouldn't know, for example being able to read this book." The room is quiet as Ridley continues to read the book. Jack and Larks stare at her patiently as she flips through the pages.

A few more hours pass by. Jack was wandering around the small room growing more impatient. Larks got up one time to get his eye glass cloth from a nearby shelf and went back to his spot. Ridley hardly moved at all, except to shift he leg position a few times. When she was finished with the book she placed it back on the desk and exhaled.

"Well what did it say?" Jack asked impatiently, waiting for Ridley to speak. Ridley opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Jacks growling stomach. "Sorry" he said embarrassedly, "Haven't eaten anything since this morning." Larks looked at the two of them and then spoke.

"I apologize; I didn't realize how late it had gotten. Please go down to the lunch area and have a bite to eat. When you have eaten your fill then please return to tell me your findings in the book." He escorted them out of the room which had a few guards waiting on the other side.

"Is this still necessary Lord Larks?" Jack asked kind of annoyed.

"Even though I believe the two of you to be innocent after hearing your story, the rest of neither Radiata, nor any other person in this castle has heard it so this is for now until we can clean things up officially." To the guards, "Please escort Jack and Ridley to the lunch area and make sure they have plenty to eat. When they are finished please return them here." The knights responded with a "yes Lord Larks" and with that being said, he closed the door and the knights took Jack and Ridley.

Down in the lunch area, many knights were eating supper and as soon as Jack and Ridley entered, all eyes were on them.

"Hurry up and eat" a knight told the two of them rudely, "don't keep Lord Larks waiting." They sat them down and put food in front of them, which was a bowl of cold soup, a bread roll, and some water. The two of them looked down at the food with displeasure, but beggars can't be choosers.

"So what did the book say Ridley?" Jack asked Ridley in a whisper. All the other people in the lunch room were focused on them which made Jack feel uneasy.

"There is no point in hearing the story twice. Just wait for me to tell it in front of Larks, you will know soon enough." Ridley continued to eat her food.

Jack chuckled to himself, he was happy to see Ridley acting like herself again. He was getting use to her acting nice and loving to him, but was happy to see she hadn't changed too much.

After an awkward lunch, the two were escorted back to Lord Larks who wasn't showing it, but was waiting eagerly in his room to hear the full story.

"I hope you two had an enjoyable meal." Larks said politely.

"Well…define enjoyable" Jack said jokingly which didn't save him from Ridley elbowing him in his ribs.

"Was there any problems?" Larks asked with a concerned look.

"No Lord Larks, I'm ready to begin" Ridley said as she and Jack sat back into the chairs.

"Good, begin when you are ready." Larks said this calmly enough, but the look on his face showed otherwise.

"Okay" Ridley looked at Jack who nodded at her, putting his hand on hers and squeezing it for comfort and strength. He thought it odd he did so without thinking and when he was about to pull his hand back, she put her other hand on top of his and held it tightly. "To put in bluntly, this is a story about how the world, and everything we know, began."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Like I think I've said before, but just to be sure. I'm writing this as if it were to be a sequel to Radiata Stories. Some things might not make a whole lot of sense, but it's just the direction I'm taking it in. This chapter especially I'm trying to get creative with it although I'll be the first to admit I'm not very good at this, but I'm having fun with writing this so far. Also I'm sorry for the weird names. Trying to think of original names for characters was a lot harder than I thought.

Chapter 4: An Old Story

"The beginning…meaning the beginning of time?" Larks asked curiously

"You could say that I guess, but please Lord Larks, allow me to tell you the whole story before you start asking questions. That goes for you too Jack, not a word." She looked at Jack sternly, and he looked offended, but he could tell she was dead serious so he just nodded.

"Understood, please continue your story." Larks asked politely. As she was about to speak again, a knock came at the door. "I'm in an important meeting at the moment. Please do not disturb us until further notice."

"I have direct orders from the King himself sir! He says he wants the meeting with Jack Russell and Ridley Silverlake to be held in the conference room with himself and the guild leaders of Radiata! Everyone is currently there waiting for your arrival!" The knight saying this stood by waiting for an answer. Larks stood up and went to the door.

"Tell them we will be there shortly, no need for an escort." The knight saluted Larks and then made his leave. "Well I should have seen this coming. When we get there, please allow me to tell them the first part of your story. That way you don't have to repeat yourselves and can get on with the details of the book right after." They nodded to him as they walked out the door and Larks closing it behind him.

The conference room was only a short ways from where they were so it did not take them long to arrive. As they entered Jack caught sight of his old guild leader, Elwen. He quickly looked the other way, still feeling guilty over leaving without saying anything to the guild. Among those there was the king, sitting at one of the far ends of the table, Head Priest of the Olacion Order the Priest Guild Cain, representative of the Void Community the Thieves Guild Ortoroz, and Senior Professor of the Vareth Magic Institute Curtis. Larks took his seat next to the king, and Jack and Ridley went to the other end of the table.

"Sorry for interrupting your meeting with these two Lord Larks, but after you sent word that Lady Ridley was able to read the book, and that it could have great significance, I insisted we all hear what it had to say first hand." King Jiorus said this with much dignity and respect as he looked at Larks and then at the rest of the guild leaders. "I would also like to thank all of the representatives of the four guilds we have in Radiata for meeting at such a short notice." They all nodded in respect for him.

Larks decided to speak at this point, "I have heard the journey these two have been through, and can tell you the short version of it so that we can hurry to the book if you don't mind," Jiorus thought for a second and then gave his answer.

"Actually, I think we should skip that for now and go straight into the details of the book. I would like a detailed report of their story later." Larks agreed to this. It worked better for him anyways. "Now then" Jiorus continued, "Lady Ridley, please tell us of your findings in the book." All eyes shifted to Ridley. There was a feeling of uneasiness in the room, but Ridley looked unstirred and confident.

"As I started to tell Lord Larks, this book tells of a story even older than that of the Gold and Silver dragons. It tells of five celestial beings that came upon an uninhabited world. It doesn't say where these beings came from, only that they have amazing powers and strength beyond mortal capabilities. What it does give is names though."

Ridley opens the book and sets it on the table as she continues. "The first being was known as 'Torgaies, crafter of the mountains and valleys' as the name suggest, Torgaies is credited with molding the very ground of the world and giving it the shape. It says Torgaies had a mighty hammer, and if he swung his hammer in one area, the impacted area would create a giant valley, while the other side of the world would spring up giant mountains."

"The second being was known as 'Lynseiraus, creator of the seas' this being is credited with bringing water to the world that was void of any. Lynseiraus had a staff of exquisite design which it would channel its powers through."

"The third being was known as 'Aeronomuse, bringer of the great winds' this being is credited with bringing wind to the world. From gentle breezes to mighty hurricanes, there was no force that its great fan couldn't create."

"The fourth being was known as 'Pyrasheer, energy eternal' this being is credited with giving the world energy at its core. Breathing energy into a world that was absent of power. The spear it carried controlled all flames and was as hot as the sun."

"The fifth being and the strongest of them all, 'Mihaiory, the life giver and supreme judge' this being is credited with giving all the other beings the powers they hold. If any issues arose among the other beings, with its great sword, Mihaiory would be the judge of the affairs and decide what the best choices of actions were."

"After the other celestial beings were finished, Mihaiory decided to bring new life into the world, and created the creatures known as humans. The being gave them the knowledge to create buildings, grow crops, and swordsmanship. Mihaiory also created life for the oceans, land and sea and gave the humans authority over them all. The other celestial beings came to Mihaiory asking for the gift of creating life as well and it was given to them. Torgaies created the dwarves and gave them the love of crafting and drinking. Lynseiraus created the Orcs who originally loved the water, but a dispute that happened between Lynseiraus and Pyrasheer, caused their area to dry up. The Orcs refusal to leave the area caused them to adapt to the area. Pyrasheer created the goblins that were always a little dim, because Pyrasheer believed the less you knew that happier you were. Aeronomuse created the light elves, giving those long lives and the means to even extend their lives. It was thought Aeronomuse did this because Mihaiory created the humans with having very short lives, and thought doing so could make his creatures superior to the humans. This thought was made into the light elves minds and eventually resentment started to arise between the two different races."

"The world was peaceful for many centuries, but behind the scenes, the growing hostility between the humans and the light elves grew. War between them was inevitable. Mihaiory was busy trying to find the best solution and brought the other beings together. The last thing Mihaiory wanted to do was to wipe out his and the others creations, but it seemed that the best thing to do was restart. Then a new thought came to mind. Mihaiory created four small stones and put them before each of the other beings. From the others he extracted a part of their life force and put them inside each stone. With that he created the four dragons to protect and guard each of the beings respected creation, with the primary goal to keep the balance between the races safe. Mihaiory then created the Gold and Silver dragons that were to watch over the human affairs as well as protect them. Bringing the dragons down to the world from the dimension that the beings reside, Mihaiory told all the creatures that they were to be the guardians, and if any of them were to act out in aggression, the dragons would be the ones to solve it by any means necessary. Mihaiory then gave the four stones that he created the other dragons from and gave them to the Silver and Gold dragons, telling them that if for whatever reason the other dragons started to rebel then they could be sealed back into the stones. Mihaiory also warned them that they themselves were not made from stones, and if they were to be slain, they would not be sealed, but have their energy sent back into itself."

"Every race was okay with this new form of being guarded by except the humans. They wanted all the power, and that meant going after the one who gave them life. Four warriors from the humans were able to steal the four stones that were kept in the temples of the Gold and Silver dragons and then they set off to seal the other dragons. Even with the stones, the dragons were not easy to seal away. They had to be decently damaged first before they could be sealed. The four warriors were highly skilled though and all in one night the dragons were each taken down."

"With the dragons sealed away in the stones, they knew they had to go after the other celestial beings first if they wanted a chance at taking down Mihaiory. Each warrior equipped the stone filled with the souls of the dragons onto their weapons and struck the ground. The stones glowed at each of their locations until a passage way into another dimension opened. They each came face to face with four of the celestial beings. Having equipped the stone onto their weapons, not only were they able to reach the dimension of the celestial beings, but it gave them a power boost to match the power of that of the celestial beings. After a long battle that seemed to last for days, each of the four warriors were able to subdue the celestial beings, but just barely. Striking the celestial beings into their core, the warriors were able to absorb most of the powers from them into the stones. Weak, but unable to die, the warriors left the beings where they were with the next target being Mihaiory. In order to gain access to the dimension that Mihaiory was in, they had to return back to their home for that is the only place he could be reached at."

"Noticing that the stones were missing, the other dragons sealed, and that the humans who stole the stones were returning after absorbing most of the other celestial beings, the Gold and Silver dragon reported to Mihaiory. Mihaiory had already sensed the others powers being sealed away, and didn't even know it was possible to do so with the stones created. Mihaiory ordered the Gold and Silver dragon to take out the warriors before they had a chance to open the dimension in the humans town, and then to return the stones to it to restore the powers to the others. However it was too late. The four warriors had already made it back to the town with remarkable speed and were now standing in the dimension of Mihaiory. The twin dragons were quickly removed from the situation, not being a match for the warriors. It was Mihaiory up against four of his own creations. Even with the new powers gained, the four realized after awhile that they were no match for Mihaiory. The powerful sword as well as the technique used by the ultimate celestial being far outclassed anything they could do. For such heinous acts of rebellion, Mihaiory took little time to judge these beaten warriors, extracting their weaken souls from their body and erasing them completely. The bodies slowly withered away."

"Having stopped this rebellion, Mihaiory sent the powers of the others back into their bodies and had the Gold and Silver dragons slaughter the remaining humans. Their souls would not be destroyed, but the humans as a whole must be restarted. The other celestial beings came to Mihaiory angry that they were given such a weak point with the stones, and demanded they have more power. Feeling responsible for everything that had happened, Mihaiory called forth the Gold and Silver dragons. Mihaiory split the power up within itself to those of the other beings and into the dragons. Each being had much more power now than before and having been satisfied, went back to their respected dimensions. The dragons got a smaller power increase, but then were given the responsibility of being the new judges. Mihaiory, in giving away so much of its power, was in need of a great rest. Mihaiory told the Gold and Silver dragons that they must not be slain at the same time, because then the other celestial beings will stop the human race from ever returning. The now tired celestial being made it so that only one of them could exist at the same time in order to help prevent that. If the humans were to act up again, then it was their job to restore balance by making the human race start over. Then it put the Silver dragon's soul to rest and lay dormant until the time came to restore balance by awakening through a human. The Gold dragon was put in charge first to watch the humans. Their roles would switch every time balance needed to be restored. Mihaiory named this the balance of Tottaus."

"When Mihaiory finally went to sleep, the four other dragons awoke, being released from the stones. This was to happen whenever the balance was restored. The Gold dragon told them of everything that had transpired and let them know their roles. They were to be the guardians of this new order of Tottaus. Whenever the humans try to take over the other races, the dragons would be the ones to step in. If that alone does not stop the humans and they get sealed away again by the stones, then that would meant the balance of Tottaus was becoming unbalanced and the humans must be destroyed and forced to rebuild. If somehow, both Gold and Silver dragons are slain before the balance is restored; the other celestial beings will take over and destroy the humans permanently. This is not the will of Mihaiory who hopes that one day there will be no need for this type of balancing system, and everyone could live in peace. The only way to restore balance at that point would be to seal the powers given to the other celestial beings again using the power of the stones and to bring them back to Mihaiory to awaken its sleep."

The whole room was grave silent, from the start of Ridley's narration of the book, till the very end. Nobody knew what to say or even how to respond at this point. Jack was the first to speak.

"Well, let's say that everything you just said was true…as long as the Gold dragon is still inside you then we have nothing to worry about right?" He said this nervously and with hesitation. Ridley was looking down at her hands after she finished speaking, unable to speak as if she was hearing the story for the first time herself and couldn't speak out of shock.

"Yes, it still lives inside of me for now…" Ridley said as her voice trailed off.

"What do you mean for now?" Larks spoke out. Ridley looked up at him, and then put a hand on her heart.

"I mean…I can feel the Gold dragon inside of me getting weaker and weaker. Eventually it will fall asleep which is the same thing as dying for the dragons. If this prophecy is true and the Gold dragon dies…we are going to wish the Gold dragon had returned and wiped us out with the chance of our race still being able to rebuild. Now we are on the brink of mass extinction and in order to beat it we would have to defeat celestial beings with god like powers."

"Not only that" pitched in Jiorus, "the story said that with the power boost of the stones, the warriors were barely able to defeat the celestial beings. We don't know where these mystical stones are, and even if we did, now that they have the power boost from Mihaiory, we probably couldn't find the warriors needed to defeat them." At that moment, Larks pulled out a blue glowing orb from his pocket and showed everyone. Jack saw it and recognized it instantly.

"Hey! That is my dad's! After he died, the only thing my sister got was some money, his sword, and that orb. Give it back!" Jack shot out of his chair as he said these things, looking angrily at Larks for taking his things.

"Believe me Jack, that's something I plan on doing." Larks responded, "I remember after a certain mission, Sir Cairn had comeback with this orb in his possessions. When asked why he picked up such a random item he merely responded with an 'I don't know, it just seemed special to me.' If I remember clearly, the stone had no color to it, and Sir Cairn had modified his swords hilt in order to place the stone in it. After he defeated the water dragon, the stone on his hilt had turned into this glowing blue color we are seeing right now."

"Are you saying that this is one of the legendary stones told in the story?!" Jiorus asked excitedly and in unbelief. "If that's true then how come Sir Cairn was able to be killed if he had such power in his hands?"

"Because, the day he was killed, he didn't have the sword on him. He was just going for a walk. Plus after his fight with the water dragon, Sir Cairn removed the orb from his sword. He said that he didn't like that it glowed." Larks adjusted the glasses on his face. "Even so, we aren't sure this is even the orb. Could just be a coincidence." Jack was tired of them talking.

"I don't care if that is the stone or not! I said give it back already!" Jack's teeth were clenched, one hand in a fist on the table and the other fist in the air shaking.

"Jack, stop shouting! This is much bigger than just your personal feelings right now! You are being selfish!" Ridley remained seated, but was looking up at him saying this trying to calm him down.

"No, it's okay Lady Ridley" Larks said calmly as he tossed the orb towards Jack who snatched it out of the air. "If we are to get through this, I feel like he is going to be one of the ones needed. Before you ask, your other belongings, including your father's sword, are back in my chambers. You may get them when the meetings over. Is that okay my Lord?" He looks at Jiorus as he says this who nods his head.

"Yes, that will be fine. I also believe that Jack will be one of those needed if we are to protect ourselves from extinction. Now the only things left to be done are find the other three warriors and the remaining orbs. Since the other dragons have already been slain, the warrior who killed them must have the orbs."

"Sir Cross was the one who slain the other dragons. If he was killed by the Silver dragon like Jack and Ridley say, then I doubt that he had the orbs on him. Also it seems that the orbs must be physical equipped for the power to be used that way according to the story. Just having them on person might be enough to seal the dragons away, but it was noted that the warriors had to equip the stones on the weapon before they were able to fight on equal level with the celestial beings. If we check Sir Cross's room, we should find the remaining orbs."

"Sir Jack and Lady Ridley, although it seems we have decided for you, it is still your choice on whether you are prepared to fight these so called 'celestial beings' or not. What will you do?" Jiorus looked at both Jack and Ridley while asking this. Jack looked over at Ridley who looked up to him with her big emerald eyes that seemed gentle now.

"If it means protecting the ones I love" Jack started to say, "Then I'll do whatever it takes." Ridley simply nodded in agreement. Elwen, who remained quiet during everything just as all the other guild members had, smiled beneath her helmet when Jack said that. It reminded her of something the love of her life once said.

"Thank you" Jiorus said humbly, "The entire human race will be in your debt. I ask you to look towards the other guilds and knights of Radiata in choosing the remaining two people for this dangerous mission. I again want to thank all the guild representatives in coming on short notice and to help Sir Jack and Lady Ridley in finding the right warriors for the job at hand. Lord Larks, please find the remaining orbs as soon as you can. Today's meeting is adjourned."

Everyone gets up and does a slight bow to the king as he leaves first and then everyone else starts to leave. Jack is about to call out to his former Chief before being interrupted by Larks.

"Please, come back to my chambers to get the rest of your things." He leaves, and then when Jack looks to find Elwen again, she is gone.

"What's the matter Jack?" Ridley asks seeing the concerned look on his face.

"Nothing, I was just hoping to apologize to my old Chief for leaving without saying anything."

"Oh I see, well we can go down to Theater Vancoor later after we get our things and see if Cross had the orbs in his room." She looks at him with a gentle smile which comforted Jack and sort of confused him at the same time. She had been very serious during the whole time being captured, which was understandable, but now that she was being nice again, he didn't know how to react. He gave her an uneasy smile as they walked out of the conference room. So much has been going on ever since Jack joined the knights, and to hear that something even more dangerous than the Silver dragon is coming, he felt a little intimidated about everything. Could he really do it? Would he be able to protect the ones he loved? Would simply wanting to protect them make him strong enough? All these thoughts raced in Jack's mind as he and Ridley walk down the hall in what could be one of the last few peaceful moments they have with each other.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Testing Power

Jack and Ridley waited for Larks to return with the rest of their possessions outside of his room. A million thoughts were going through both of their minds. Were the legends from the book true? If they were how much time did they have? Who would be the remaining warriors? Could they even defeat these celestial beings if given the chance? Jack shook his head as to clear his mind. He looked down at Ridley who was still deep in thought with a faraway gaze in her eyes. Again he noticed how beautiful she looked. Even without light hitting them, her eyes seemed to have a natural glow to them. Her hair was like golden strands of the finest silk. Her face so angelic she could be mistaken for an angel any day. Jack snapped out of his gaze when Larks appeared with their things. He noticed Jack had a small blush on and Jack's eyes pleaded with Larks to not say anything. Larks simply smiled and handed them their items which was kept in a rather large bag.

"This is everything that was taken from you two when you came back to Radiata. You are no longer prisoners, but I must ask you to remain in the castle until everything has officially been cleared. We don't want to start a panic with the citizens of Radiata." Larks adjusts his glasses and continues, "After everything is cleared you are free to roam both the castle and the city as you like, but until we find the rest of the orbs we want you two to stay in Radiata. We must be able to summon you quickly, and we can't do that if you are not near. Do you understand everything I've said?" Jack and Ridley nod. "Good then, Lady Ridley you're room is still available for you, and Jack since Ganz is no longer with us you may stay in his room until this ordeal is settled. This is all for now, we will let you know when everything is settled. If you have any questions you may stop by at any time." They all slightly bowed to each other and Larks went back into his room leaving Jack and Ridley in the hall.

Jack removed his sword from the bag and looked at it with new admiration. He saw the spot where the orb could fit in and the new power that could be unleashed through it. He was tempted to test the power out now with the blue orb that was in his pocket, but decided against it for now. He equipped the sword back on and put the rest of his items away. Ridley did the same and then turned to Jack. "Since we can't leave until things are settled here we can't go to Theater Vancoor, and to be honest I'm kind of tired anyways so I want to just sleep if that's okay with you."

Jack didn't notice till now that he was also tired. Not really physically since he had slept for so long at Adele's place, but mentally tired from all of the news that was just laid on them all. "Yea I'm actually pretty tired too. Hopefully things will be settled by tomorrow. I really want to go down to Theater Vancoor." They continued talking as they walked to their rooms. "I was meaning to ask you ever since you finished reading that book to us. Do you really believe everything that was in the book?"

Ridley walked beside Jack in silence for a second before giving her answer and put a hand up to her heart. "Part of me wants to say it's nothing more than a fairy tale…but the other part of me…the Golden Dragon part of me…believes every word that is in that book." She put her hand back down to her side continuing to walk.

"Hmmm…well I'm still not too sure about this, but if you think it's true then I will trust in you." As they continued down to their rooms a lot of knights and nobles who lived in the castle would stare at them. They could hear the little murmurs and whispers behind their backs as they walked passed them. Jack wanted to go back and say something, but every time he was about to Ridley would stop him saying it's not worth it.

They finally arrive at Ridley's room and they share a hug before Jack goes to his. Jack almost doesn't want to let go of her and Ridley feels the same. After a minute of just holding each other they finally release and say their goodnight wishes. Jack walks to his former captain's room which is close to Ridley's room. He can still smell Ridley's sweet scent and feel her warm body on his. He never wants to forget this sensation.

He stops in front of his former captain's room, and he thinks of all the good times he had with him. The first mission they had to Earth Valley and the fight with the goblins, going with Genius to the dark elf village and the tragic event with Ridley and the orc, even getting fired from the knights and going to Theater Vancoor which the captain couldn't get into. All of these memories flooded Jack's mind, along with his final memory of his former captain when he stayed with his father to die in the collapse of the Gold Dragons Castle. He got sad when he thought of this. He hesitantly reached for the door knob, and held it for awhile. He half expected Ganz himself to open it from the inside asking him why he was entering his room, but he knew that wasn't possible. He finally found the strength to open the door, and was greeted by the giant portrait of Gawain on the wall across the room. He walked across the room, noticing how tidy and organized everything was in it. Not a thing out of place as expected from the captain. Jack put his things down, trying to be as neat as possible in honor of his captain, and then sat on the bed. The bed gave Jack sleepy thoughts and before he knew it he was out cold.

Ridley tossed and turned in her bed, unable to get any piece of mind. She kept having a reoccurring nightmare about the Silver Dragon trying to kill her and Jack getting killed in her place instead. It would always shoot a giant beam towards her and Jack always made it on time to take the hit. He'd fall cold at her feet and no matter how hard she shook him he wouldn't respond. Holding Jack's lifeless body in her arms, she would look up to see the Silver Dragon right above her ready to strike, but she would always awake before the dragon landed its hit. She shot up yelling Jacks name again as she did at Adele's house. She was sweating slightly and breathing hard, clutching at her chest as if she had really been struck. Even though it was just a dream, she could still feel Jack's cold dead body in her arms and this frightened her beyond belief. She jumped out of bed, wrapped a robe around herself, and proceeded towards her door. It was still really late, sometime between late at night and early the next day. She walked over to the room Jack was staying in and knocked on it lightly and calling out to Jack just as lightly. When she got no response after several minutes she decided to open the door to his room. She had to make sure her dream really was just a dream, and that Jack was okay. She opened the door slowly and poked her head inside first. She couldn't see if he was on the bed or not because of how dark it was so she went all the way inside for a closer look. Closing the door behind her so nobody would notice, she walked to the side of the bed, and saw Jack sleeping peacefully. He even smiled while he slept which Ridley found cute and dorky at the same time, but that described Jack perfectly. She placed a hand on his cheek just to make sure he was cold like in her dream and was immediately greeted by his warmth. He smiled even bigger in his sleep at the first touch of Ridley's hand. Knowing he was okay she felt she could get some sleep now so she left the room and went back to her own.

Jack awoke from his sleep feeling refreshed and peaceful. He had a dream he vaguely remembered about the captain, Ganz, his father, and of course Ridley. He couldn't remember the details, but if he slept so well it must have been a nice dream. He got out of bed, stretched a little, got his toothbrush and spare clothes from his belongings, and headed to the bathroom in the room. The bathroom was just as well kept as the room. It had fresh towels hanging on the wall, a very clean and fresh smelling soap, and all the other necessities usually found in bathrooms all in their proper places. Jack walked over to the tub and put the shower head on. He found the temperature he found the most pleasing and put his current sleep clothes in the hamper before jumping in. He stood in the warmth for awhile, enjoying the feeling of it rushing over his body, before he grabbed a bar of soap and started to cleanse himself. In the room next door, Ridley was doing the same, but instead of taking a shower, she wanted to take a soak in the tub first. She thought a good soak in the tub might release some of the stress she had been feeling, and so far she was right. The water was very relaxing and the rose scented soap she added to the water helped enhance her relaxing mood. In this moment, nobody was dying, and nobody was trying to destroy one another, everything was right in the world.

Thirty minutes or so later, after the two of them finished enjoying their peaceful time in the shower, they brushed their teeth, got dressed, and almost on cue, as soon as they were going for the door they got a loud knock on the door. The two of them exited, and were greeted by a knight. They glanced at each other, and then to the knights before them.

"Master Jack, and Lady Ridley; Lord Larks request an audience with the both of you as soon as possible. When the two of you are ready, please go to the training grounds." The knights saluted and went on their way.

Jack walked up to Ridley, "They must have found the other orbs and want us to test them out to see if the legends are true." Ridley nodded in agreement as they started making their way to the training grounds. "I'm kind of curious to see if the legends are true as well aren't you?"

Ridley continued walking without answering his question. Jack called out to her again, "Hey, Ridley, aren't you curious to see if the legends are true too?" again she didn't respond, just staring off into the distance. He put a hand on her shoulder and called out to her again, and she finally snapped out of it. "Huh? I'm sorry Jack I was distracted. What were you saying?"

Jack looked at her curiously, "Are you okay Ridley? Did you get enough sleep last night? You looked kind of tired still." Ridley had slight bags under her eyes. Even after seeing Jack was okay last night, she still couldn't sleep too well. Waking up periodically throughout the night with the same nightmare, she knew it was going to be awhile before she got over it. She didn't want to worry Jack though so she threw on a smile for him.

"I'm fine, just couldn't sleep so good last night, but I'm okay." Jack looked at her curiously as she said this. He knew that she was hiding something, but he left it alone for now. When she was ready to tell him she would. He hoped so anyways.

They arrived at the training grounds where they saw both Larks and the king standing by. Larks had a small bag in his hand which he kept close. "Good morning you two, I hope you were able to get enough rest last night." As Larks said this they nodded and did a slight bow to both the king and himself. "You two have officially been cleared throughout Radiata, and on top of that, we were able to find the other orbs in Cross's room rather quickly."

"The reason we have brought you here today" the kings started to say, "as you might have expected, is to see if the legends about these orbs are true. We want you to each to take an orb and equip it to your weapon of choice. After that we want you to strike the dummies we have set here, and see what happens. Which of you will go first?" They both looked at each other and then Jack stepped forward. "Very well, please young Jack, equip one of the orbs you wish to use and see if enhances any of your power."

Jack took out his sword the Arbitrator, which already had its own natural power to it, and held it out. Then he fished the blue orb out of his pocket and placed it into the swords hilt. The orb shined brightly and almost immediately both Jack and his sword were covered in a brilliant blue aura. Everyone in the room stared in awe at Jack who was checking himself out. The aura looked like it was taking the shape of armor around Jack and he felt a deep power welling up from his sword into his body. He looked at the dummy, walked up to it and took a stance. He swung the sword as fast and as hard as he can through the dummy and it went clean right through. The whole dummy that was cut in half turned into giant pieces of ice and the fell onto the floor and shattered into a million pieces. The dummy wasn't the only thing effect by the sword swing. Everything in the path of the swing turned into ice. It was like a blizzard came through the sword and froze over half the training ground. Again all everyone could do was stare in awe. None of them could believe what they just saw, especially Jack. He removed the orb from the hilt and returned back to normal.

"Well" Larks said after a moment, "The legends of these orbs must be true…which means the celestial beings must be just as real…Lady Ridley it is your turn to test the orb, but first let us go outside of the castle. I'm afraid of what might happen if we let something like that happen again."

"Good idea Larks' the king pitched in, "No matter how sturdy it may be, even the mightiest castle will fall if put under enough force, and this proves that these orbs can give out a lot of force."

Exiting the castle, they notice something astonishing none of them expected. Half the castle from the outside where Jack swung the sword was frozen. From the bottom floor and surrounding ground, almost all the way to the top of the castle was almost completely covered in ice. They could see the surrounds knights trying to pick the ice apart to almost no avail. The ice is really strong making even the sharpest tools go dull.

"Whoa! I can't believe how much damage was down from only one swing of my sword!" Jack yelled this out with astonishment and little bit of pride. He knew it wasn't his strength, but he seemed happy he was able to do something like that on such a massive scale.

"Impressive yes, but don't make a habit out of damaging the castle or Radiata itself." Lord Larks starts to say, "The purpose for these orbs is to help stop the celestial beings, not to destroy the city." Jack puts a hand behind his head nervously and scratches his head with an uneasy smile.

"I know I won't do anything to harm Radiata. I just got back on its good side." Jack couldn't believe the power he had in his pocket, but had to hide his excitement in front of the others, especially from Ridley who would scold him about it in a heartbeat.

"Good, and now Lady Ridley it is your turn." Larks held out the little bag he had in his hand and Ridley pulled out the green orb. She placed the orb into the spot she had modified for it fit in the night before, but unlike with Jack's orb it didn't shine and brighter or cover her in any aura. It was odd. She held her axe up and took a swing at the dummy which she cut through, but with no other special side effects.

"This is odd" the king started to say, "when young Jack swung his sword with the orb he nearly turned the castle into an ice pop, but for some reason when you try nothing special happens…try again with a different colored orb." Ridley nodded and placed the green orb back into the bag and brought out the red orb. Again no special glowing or aura occurred while she placed it in the spot and no special thing happened after she cut another dummy. She tried again with the purple orb and even Jacks blue orb and nothing happens still.

"Let me try something" Jack says as he takes Ridley's axe and places the green orb into it. Immediately the orb shines bright in Jack's hand and surrounds him with a different green aura. He uses Ridley's axe to strike the dummy down and this time the dummy turns into soil and crumbles away and the floor beneath the dummy turns into a giant crevice. All of Radiata shook with the swing of the axe in Jack's hand. After the tremor had finally stopped Jack spoke, "Whoa…well it worked for me so it has nothing to do with the axe so try again." He handed the axe over to Ridley and the green aura and the glow from the orb went away in her grasp. "Just try to concentrate of the power of the orb Ridley. Draw it to you, and then unleash it."

With these words of advice, Ridley nodded and held her axe firmly. She concentrated on the axe as hard as she could. A few minutes pass, and when she's about to give up hope on using this power, she feels something swell up from inside of her and not the orb. She puts the orb back into the bag and begins to concentrate on this feeling. She starts to radiate a golden glow and her eyes change from green to a bright gold color. It is similar to the glow that Jack got from the orbs yet somewhat different. The aura that Jack got went from the sword to his body, but this aura is coming from inside Ridley herself. She looks at the dummy, and with a mighty swing the dummy seems to evaporate into a bright light along with the surrounding ground and plant life.

She puts her axe down and stares down at herself, and she is still glowing. She takes a deep breath, and then exhales slowly. The bright gold light surrounding her starts to fade and her eyes change back to their green color. She takes another look at herself and then looks towards Jack and the others who look even more shocked then when Jack froze half the castle.

"I think I know why I can't access the dragons power through the orbs…it's because I already have the power of one of the dragons inside of me."


	6. The Price of Power

A/N: Thank you to the people who have followed my story and gave me reviews. I am truly trying to take your comments to heart and trying to give a story that I would be proud of.

Chapter 6: The Price of Power

"I thought you said you the Gold dragon inside of you was about to die? How is it then that you are able to access its power and so much of it at that?" Larks asked after witnessing her incredible display. Even after experiencing Jack use the power of the orbs, he still couldn't believe what he just saw. Jack himself couldn't understand it, and he had used similar power a moment before.

"Honestly…I'm not too sure myself." Ridley started to say. She started walking towards them as she continued. "While I was trying to concentrate on the orb I felt a power well up from inside of me, and then a voice spoke out to me. I couldn't make out what it said, but soon after I felt the power going throughout my body, and I was able to accomplish what you just witnessed. The Gold dragon inside of me is dying yes, but I feel it is a slow death, and until that time comes the Gold dragon will not allow me to tap into the power of the other dragons."

"That is disappointing; it means that we still have to find three other warriors." Larks said this as he went into deep thought and then he got an idea. "Let me try something." He pulls the red orb from the bag he was carrying and places it into a sword that he brought along for this occasion. He gets covered in an aura, but it is less vibrant than what Jack had and the orb doesn't shine as bright. He takes a swing at one of the other dummies that was placed in the field they were in and makes it halfway through before he is stopped. The place where he cut smolders a bit and looks charred, but besides that not much damage was done to the dummy. "Interesting…Sir Jack please take hold of this sword in my hand." Jack takes the sword, and immediately the aura transfers from Larks to Jack and it becomes much more vibrant and the orb shines brilliantly.

"Do you want me to swing at the dummy?" Jack asks Larks.

"No, that won't be necessary. I'm afraid you would burn half of Radiata if you were to do so." Larks adjust the glasses on his face. "You proved a theory I had though."

"Huh? What theory are you talking about?" Jack asks confused.

"That you have to be a strong warrior in order to use the orbs to their full potential. Not anyone that can swing a sword could use them. So we must carefully select the other three warriors."

"Okay" Ridley started to say, "We should…" before she could finish her sentence she collapsed to her knees and then all the way to the ground.

"Ridley!" Jack started to run towards her, but then noticed a fatigue settling over him as he drops to one of his knees. His eyelids feel heavy as he looks over at Ridley, and then to Larks who has already fallen to the floor. Everything seems to be moving in slow motion as he struggles to move more. Jack fights himself up to an awkward standing position and makes his way to Ridley, but falls again as he is mere feet away from her. His whole body aches as if he had just been in a fight that had lasted for years. He finally knocks out at the sound of guards rushing towards the three of them.

When Jack finally awoke, he was in the infirmary of the castle. He looked around and noticed lots of other knights in the room, but not Ridley or Larks. He started to make his way out of his bed and noticed how sore he felt. Every movement felt like he had giant weights attached to himself. He slowly made his way to the door when before he could grab the handle the door opened and Jack fell through the doorway.

"Jack what are you doing out of bed?" Ridley said in concern as she helped him get up off the floor.

"Ridley…what happened? Last thing…I remember…you were…and Larks…are you okay?" Every word was a struggle for Jack to say. Every time he tried to speak the words wanted to force their way back down Jack's throat.

Ridley helped Jack back to his bed before she answered him. "Don't try to speak Jack. Your body is under extreme exhaustion from having used the orbs. Apparently using the power of the dragons causes a lot of stress on the body."

"Then…why…you…" Jack tried to speak more, but the words didn't want to come out.

"Jack please, no more talking. Since I didn't use the orbs and the Gold dragon is inside of me it helped me recover faster. Although I still feel a bit stiff and sore as well. Larks couldn't tap into the full power of the orb he used, but because he isn't a warrior it affected him in almost the same way although he recovered faster than even I and feels only slight soreness. You used the power of two separate orbs and were able to use a great amount of power in doing so, which is why your recovery is going to take awhile longer so just wait it out."

Jack lay in the bed frustrated and feeling helpless. Ridley sat next to him on the bed and placed a hand on his own. "It's okay Jack. That you are able to do so much already is a good sign. All the other knights in here were testing out the orbs after we passed out. They couldn't even come close to the power you displayed in using the orbs and they collapsed almost automatically. That you even had the strength to get out of bed and move before any of the knights in here shows that you are recovering quickly." Jack felt a little better at this news, but then something else came to his mind. As if she could read his mind Ridley responded. "Yea, none of the knights in this castle are going to be able to be the warrior we need to wield the orbs. Larks and the others want us to go out and see if any of the guild members have what it takes to wield the orbs after you recover. If they can't then we are in bigger trouble than we thought."

Jack closed his eyes and started to think. He was sure that Elwen would be able to wield the orbs for as powerful as she was, and maybe even Gerald. After that though, Jack didn't know whether or not the other guilds had the warriors needed to fill in the other spot. Theater Vancoor would have to be the first spot they try was the only thing Jack knew for sure.

Larks arrive as Jack is in the middle of his thoughts and comes to the other side of Jack's bed. Jack opens his eyes and Ridley stands up from the bed. Jack struggles to sit up, but Ridley lays him back down.

"Well I'm glad to see you already have some of your strength back Jack. These orbs are more complex than the book told. I'm lucky I wasn't able to use that much of their power or else I don't think I would be getting up anytime soon." He looks around at the other knights in the bed. "They are strong enough together, but I'm afraid none of them have the individual strength it takes to wield the orbs. Even Lady Natalie couldn't withstand the power of the orbs for that long, and none of them showed the skill you showed when you wielded the orbs." He looks at Ridley, "Did you inform him about the discussion we had earlier?"

"Yes, I just finished telling him." Ridley said, "We will go out to the other guilds as soon as Jack is up to it."

"Very good then" Larks said as he started to make his way out of the room. "Oh, I almost forgot" He walked up to Ridley and gave her the bag filled with the three remaining orbs. "Keep this safe. All of Radiata are depending on you to find the remaining warriors, and I don't need to remind you the importance of these orbs. The guild leaders have all been informed on the matter and are waiting for you at their respective guilds." With this said Larks finally left and Ridley and Jack were left with in the room with knocked out knights.

"I'll be right back." Ridley said as she left the room as well. She arrived moments later with a wheelchair and brought it up to Jack's bed. "I thought if you were well enough that you would like to finish recovering in your own room." Jack smiled and nodded as Ridley helped him up and into the wheelchair. They exited the room and started to make their way to Jack's room, Captain Ganz former room. "They started to remove some of the captain's personal items from the room to make it a permanent room for you." Ridley started telling him. Jack wasn't sure how he felt about that. He liked the thought of having his own room in the castle, but he liked that even though the captain was gone he felt close to him by being in that room.

As they pulled up to the room, two knights were moving the portrait of Gawain out of the room. Jack yelled out as best as he could "Stop" which came out a little shaky and choppy. The knights stopped in their tracks and put the portrait down as they saluted Jack and Ridley.

"Good evening Sir Jack and Lady Ridley. Our orders were to remove all of the former Captain Ganz's items from the room for Sir Jack." They started to pick the portrait back up, but Jack lifted his hand, which felt like a ton of weights were tied to it, and told them to stop again. Ridley understood what Jack was trying to say.

"Sir Jack wishes to keep the portrait in his room." Jack nodded as Ridley said this. The knights looked at each other confusingly and with a shrug they brought the portrait back to its place on the wall.

"Okay, well if you need anything else please do not hesitate to let us know." The knights saluted them again, and left.

"Gawain was a good man." Ridley said as she wheeled Jack into the room. Gawain looked just as proud and strong in the portrait as he did in real life. More than the portrait could show Jack thought, but still. Having the room to remember Ganz and the portrait to remember Gawain was nice to Jack.

Ridley brought Jack close to the bed which was already freshly made. She pulled back the covers and then proceeded to help Jack get out of his wheelchair. As she assisted him to the bed, her foot slipped dropping him on the bed clumsily with Jack pulling her down with him on top of him.

I'm so sorry Jack I…" she stopped mid sentence while gazing down into his eyes. Jack winced a bit in pain, but then looked up at her. His simple big brown eyes brought warmth to Ridley, and her piercing yet gentle emerald eyes had the same affect on Jack. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment not moving a muscle. They looked deeply, seeing past what was scene and into each other's souls. They looked down at each other's lips and then back and forth to their eyes. Their faces blushing as Ridley leaned in closer and closer to Jack's lips. They are mere inches from connecting when suddenly they hear a knocking at the door.

"Sir Jack? This is Al the steward. Are you in there?" At the sound of the door knob turning Ridley jumped up off of Jack and started to fix him on the bed. Both of their faces still blushing red. "Oh Lady Ridley, I didn't expect to see you in here. Please, allow me to help Sir Jack."

"No its fine, I've almost finished." Ridley said as she pulled the covers over Jack and tucked him in. "I'll come check on you tomorrow Jack." As she walks past Al he makes comment on her blushing face.

"It looks like you are about to come down with a fever Lady Ridley. I'd advise you to rest in your room as well." Ridley nods as she walks past him and into her room. "Now then, Sir Jack I came to tell you that if you are in need of any assistance while you're unable to move. Please do not hesitate in pulling the string by your head. I will come as soon as I can to aid you in any way you need." Jack nods to this looking up to the string near the left side of his bed. He is sure he won't need it, but it is nice to know it is there. "If you are not in need of any assistance at the moment then I shall leave you to rest." He does a slight bow and leaves Jack's room closing the door behind him. With everyone gone and his room so quiet, it didn't take long for Jack to fall asleep. Surprisingly he didn't dream, not even of Ridley.

The next morning after getting showered and dressed, Ridley headed to Jack's room to see if he needed help with anything. As she approached the door she got a flashback at the near incident they had the day before and she started to blush a bit, but then shook it away. She knocked on the door calling out Jack's name, and when there was no answer she let herself in. Jack was still on his bed resting peacefully. Ridley was about to exit when she heard him move, and went to his bedside to see if he had awaken, and needed help getting out of bed. At a closer look she could tell that he was still knocked out. Just stirred a bit in his sleep is all. She walked to one end of the room to pull the wheelchair out for when he needed it, and when she turned back around Jack was sleepily opening his eyes.

"Good morning Jack" Ridley said with a smile as she brought the wheel chair to him. "Are you feeling any better today?"

Jack was able to sit up by himself with little struggle. He stretched and yawned which hurt and felt good at the same time. "Yea…I feel much better today."

Ridley was happy to hear his voice and gave him a soft smile. "Do you think you can make it down to Theater Vancoor and the other guilds today?"

Jack stretched a little more which loosened him up a bit and then gently moved his legs over to the floor. He stood up a little wobbly which worried Ridley into trying to catch him, but Jack balanced himself fine after a while. He stretched his legs out. Flexing and extending his leg while rotating his ankle with a hand on the wheelchair for balance. He still felt sore, but it was tolerable.

"I should be fine to go down today. Just give me a second to loosen up and get ready." He said to her with his big smile he always has on.

"Okay, I'll be waiting next to the front of the castle whenever you are ready." She walked out of his room and closed the door.

Both Jack and Ridley wanted to talk about what had almost happened yesterday, but both were too embarrassed to bring it up. Jack slowly started to walk around his room to loosen up more and to get his blood pumping a bit. The more he moved the better he felt. After a few laps around he moved the wheelchair back into the corner of his room hoping he would never have to use it again. He made his way into the bathroom and took a nice long warm shower which made his aching body feel that much better. He didn't want to keep Ridley waiting though to he cut it short after quickly washing up and got dressed and headed off as quickly as his sore body would allow him to. Ridley was waiting right outside the castle for Jack.

"Are you sure you are ready to do this Jack? You are still moving kind of stiff there." Ridley said this with a bit of concern in her voice, but Jack reassured her that he was fine.

"This is not the time for me to be lying around in bed. I can move fine and the more I move the better I will feel in no time you will see." Jack gave her another smile which she responded with a more nervous smile. She still wasn't too sure if he was up to this, but she will just have to watch him throughout the day and decide when he has had enough."

They headed down Yellow Town of the Sun and Glory towards Theater Vancoor. Jack was nervous more than anything to meet his old guild members again. Would they be happy to see him because they were worried or happy to see him because they wanted to end his life themselves? Knowing them it would probably be both. They stopped in front of the door and Jack took a big breath. Ridley saw that he was nervous and let him take his time to open the door. When he finally did, everything looked exactly how the last time he left it. Carlos slamming on the table to the left of the door, Gene sitting there like he doesn't care about anything, Rolec looking nervously at the jobs on the wall, and Thanos sitting lazily behind his desk. Suits of armor line the walls as the dim light above lighten the room. As soon as he stepped through however everyone froze and stared at them. Jack slowly made his way to Thanos as everyone kept their eyes peeled on them.

"Hey Thanos is Elwen here at the moment? We need to speak with her." Jack said this nervously as Thanos looked at him with cold eyes.

"Yea" Thanos replied, "The Chief is in her room. I'll let her know you are here." He got up slowly walking towards the stairs. He looked back at them once. "A couple of us weren't too happy that you betrayed us to join the nonhumans." He continued walking up the stairs and Jack got a cold shiver down his spine.

The others were still staring at them as they waited for Thanos to return with Elwen. From the stairs they hear someone running down the stairs in a hurry. Sliding down to the final floor with weapons in hand, Deputy Gerald stares violently at Jack.

"You think you can just leave Theater Vancoor and return like nothing happened without paying your dues!" Gerald lunges at Jack who with his sore body was barely able to dodge on time. He and Ridley ran out of Theater Vancoor with Gerald hot on their trails. Ridley pulls out her axe, but Jack tells her to put it away as he pulls out his sword.

"It's me he wants. This isn't your fight to fight."

"Jack you still aren't fully healed yet, don't be stupid!" Ridley pleads with him.

"Don't worry Ridley" Jack says with a smile as Gerald approaches him. "Even if I'm only at fifty percent, it is still enough to deal with him."

"Don't get cocky kid! I was a soldier before you were even a thought!" He rushes Jack and they clash swords with sparks flying. The echo can be heard throughout the city.


End file.
